I Reject
Feeling So Bitter, but Never Hatred Afternoon had fallen upon the remnants of the city. Blackened buildings could be seen, seemingly forever smoking due to the eternal fires that burned through their foundations. Not a living thing crept among the grounds, either due to the incident that had befallen the citizens, or because of what now resided among it. Nothing but the Adjuchas roamed, seeking out any prey that dared to come across the land - even their own kind. Nothing was safe from their hunger. However, there was one thing that dared to creep among them, walking in the shadows in a seemingly ghost-like matter. It was a figure of feminine status, long and orange hair tied up in a ponytails, a black jacket laced with fur at the color, and blue jeans with boots. This was one of the shadows from the winter war. Orihime Inoue. Her eyes looked everywhere in worry as she went from building to building, looking for something that wasn't supposed to be there. Her reason for being in such a desolate place was simple: her curiosity had gotten the better of her. While taking her usual weekly hike, she could spot the blackened buildings and structures from where she had been, her alarm having shot up immediately. Since the damage seemed so new... could there be any survivors? She hoped so... And thus, she continued to search. Menoly and her partner Loly, also survivours of the very same war had called this place home. And no humans or Shinigami resided here. Both sitting indian style on a roof, they had taken the day off to meditate and spend time with each other. They hadn't been alone for a long time. It was rather... peaceful. And boring... ''Loly sighed mentally. That was when Orihime stopped. ''"I don't sense anything within this area...." She thought, her heart sinking a little. "Am I too late...?" However, determination was so far overriding that grievance. In an effort to call them out, she cupped her hands to her lips. "Hello?!" She shouted. It seemed so hopeless - the very buildings themselves seemed to swallow up her voice and prevent any feedback. "Is anyone here, hello?!!" She looked around, stopping for a moment. Then, she closed her eyes and lowered her head for a moment, her senses activating... Wait! She found something! They were faint, but she could sense them a few miles away! It was uncertain of where their location was, but she was eager to find out. Smiling, she took off into a run to see what the sources were. Loly soon stood up, doing her usual stretches, Menoly opening one eye to watch. "Wow, I think you've gained some flab." Loly frowned, "Shut up you, I'm just as hot as I was before." she said as she flaunted a sexy pose for her doubting friend. "See?" Menoly laughed, "Oh yeah... I can see it now." Her partner frowning even more, irritation shown. "If anything, I've gotten some of a tan." Menoly rolled her eyes, "That get you any dates yet?" Loly stated negatively, "No." The thought of Ggio, Nnoitra, and Senkaku... the only men in their group was somewhat dull. All of them seemed, meh to her likings. The memories of the war coming back, and battles lost. Including that blasted wretch; Orihime. The signature of Orihime would go unsensed for the time being. It was sooner than she imagined, that Orihime had landed right where she had sensed the signatures. Her senses had brought her right to what looked like a rather short building which had a wide foundation. She pressed her hand to the door, focusing her senses once more... so far, she could sense only two... and there were more just a few blocks away. It should've seemed odd to her - they seemed so still... but it didn't seem like they were injured at all. Immediately, she pushed open the door and stepped inside, looking for the stairs. "This building is so old... why are there people here, of all places...?" She thought to herself wonderingly. Loly raised her head up. "You sense that?" a blip was felt when she had focused... someone was here. And it wasn't a member of their group. Menoly shook her head, "What was it?" Loly raised her hand up, looking over the edge of the building carefully, she had felt it... but where? Answering, "No idea... but someone is nearby." Great! Some stairs! Immediately, Orihime hurried up the steps, quite eager to satisfy her curiosity. Sure, she was probably going to be a peeping Tom for this... or was it a peeping Mary? However, she was sure that because no one in their right mind would live in such circumstances. She hoped they wouldn't mind her presence... Loly glanced around, they were coming up the stairs. Definately female... young. Familiar. ''Her thoughts paused momentarily, it felt so... peaceful, calm. But, who was it? Slowly, Loly walked to the entrance of the roof, glancing downward, she'd wait for them. Menoly soon stood beside her, silent as the moon. She reached the top of the stairs.... and came across what would be a latch that led up to the roof. With one hand, she promptly shoved it open, her head peeking out almost in a comical manner. "...hello?" She muttered, blinking a few times. In fact, her expression ''did look kind of comical... it was a shame she wasn't focused on the two that were standing there... yet. The brat?! ''Both Menoly and Loly noticed. Loly muttered the first words. "You..." Loly remember distinctly when she had fought and even defended the girl. It had been brief, but it had occured. Menoly had prevented her from harming her... Orihime... Inoue.... "Remember us?" Menoly asked. "Huh?" That was when Orihime directed her eyeballs towards them.... ...and her blood froze to eyes. The immediate changes in mood were evident. The light had dissipated from her eyes, and her expression faded from curiosity to terror in a heartbeat. Speaking of which, her heart was racing to a rapid level very...very...quickly. Immediately, she climbed out of the whole and stood on her own two feet. Flashbacks raced through her mind... where Loly had ruthlessly stomped on her... where Menoly (possibly) had fired a ''Bala and considered finishing her off with a Cero.... where Loly attempted to tear her to pieces... or even worse. Her shaky voice could only whisper a few words. "Y....you're alive....?! But...but how?!" Menoly grinned, "I was healed... and Loly here was saved by one of your allies surprisingly." "Neat, huh?" a grin formed. And Loly was immediately enticed to finish what she had started... but she had only done so because Aizen was involved... but he wasn't here anymore. It was just them. What was Orihime's purpose here? "So tell me... where's your friends?" Loly cracked one of her knuckles in a rhythm. She should've never brought herself here. Immediately, she took a step back, clearly intimidated by the aggressor girl's show of what she was going to do to her. She wanted so badly to jump off in an attempt to escape... but she would, of course, die. She wanted to race back down the stairs... but she knew that all it would take from either of them was a Sonido to catch up with her. She had wandered right into a trap... and she was now at the mercy of her former tormentors. What was she to do? "Calm down." She took in a deep breath to steady herself. There seemed to be no choice now but to confront them head-on... by herself. There was no one to help her in this situation. She couldn't let them push her back again like she had done before. She had attempted to stand up for herself at Las Noches, but her fear had continued to override that courage. This time, however, she had time to reflect on what role she had played. This time, she had no choice but to defend herself. Her eyes half-lidded in a mixture of sadness and defiance. "That is none of your business..." She allowed herself to speak, her body relaxing a little as she spoke the words. "Oh, I'm sure it isn't. But your here..." Loly took a step forward, "Alone... with us." "You know, I never did understand why I protected you..." Menoly snickered, "But now I can finish the job myself." Loly smirked, using her Sonido ''she transported herself directly infront of Orihime, perparing to slam her in the gut with her fist. If she was what she had been back then, the fist would've surely collided with her. However, this time, she was ready to fight. Raising a coordinating hand, she reached out and caught Loly's fist with her own hand, the power making her feet skid into the roof grounds a little. This was an opponent she could safely use her own hand-to-hand combat abilities on. The little knife was only a little extension of the arm... she wouldn't have to worry about it so much as she would in the case of enemies like Ulquiorra. But, she wasn't focused on fighting it out just yet. Instead, she allowed her eyes to drift into Loly's stare once more. "Please... don't make me do this." Her gaze was pleading, as well as her voice. "The Winter War is over... Aizen is defeated... and I don't want to have to treat either of you as my enemy again. I don't want to fight you... but I won't let myself get beaten again. Just... let me leave." Loly frowned, "What does this mean to you? Huh? I was second to none, and you were going to be sent to Aizen, what say did I have? Nothing!" Her anger boiling, she had caused it... this orange haired brat had caused it... but it didn't matter. She was right, the war was over. And they didn't care for Aizen anymore... Menoly pointed out, this girl had revived her, but she knew that Loly needed to settle this herself, she owed her. And that meant not fighting her... "Maybe you should listen." Loly grit her teeth, her ''partner ''was backing her up...? "Be quiet." Menoly grimaced herself, Loly was holding an empty grudge, just for vengeance. They were above this now... sure, she didn't like her, but she respected her. "....I don't understand." Lowering both of their hands, Orihime allowed herself to drop to a standing stance. "You always said to me, "Stop acting like you're better than me. Don't get cocky..." You always seemed to act like I was always standing on a dimension higher than you. Surely, you realized that somewhere along the line, I wasn't any of that... you had to realize where I stood at that time..." She placed a hand to her chest, near where her heart would be. "I was taken away from my home, and because it looked as if I walked willingly with you, the ones would've saved me thought I betrayed them. All that room was existing to serve as a prison. I was left in that room, constantly wondering if my friends would live or die... or if any of them even lived at all... and I was surrounded by no one but the ones who wanted to kill me." She closed her eyes for a brief moment. "I'm sorry if it seemed like I was trying to take your place. But I had no say over the position that I had. Couldn't you realize that... when you were beating me down?" Loly's point of rage was reaching it's high-point. "You don't get it! Because of your actions, Aizen, the man who I served with more loyalty then any of those others, had his guards stand in the way, and decide to pummel us out of the way." "I don't give a crap what your friends thought, but ever since that day, I've had nothing but regrets." Loly issued a ''Bala ''spinning towards Orihime, dangerous seething quantities in it. Menoly frowned, it was odd. Loly wouldn't let go of the past. But here she was... actually talking with her, it was about as civil as this conversation would get. '"Santen Kesshun!"' At the shout of the command, the three fairies came to Orihime's aid. They formed the triangle shape, effectively blocking off the ''Bala before. Through the field, Orihime could only stare on as she lifted her hand from her heart. "I know I don't." She admitted, smiling a little. "I'm so foolish, aren't I...?" That was when the fairies resumed their inactive state, the barrier dissipating. "I suppose the only thing I can do right now is face your anger..." With that, she resumed her determined look, settling into a barehanded stance. It was only due to her practice on karate that she could hope to fight Loly. She was hesitant to using the full extent of her powers quite yet, until she felt ready to fight without hesitation. She had let her emotions rule her so many times... this was where she could make up for lost times. She only regretted her friends not being able to see her do so... they would've been proud. Eternal Rage Loly frowned, placing her hand forward, she began charging a bright red Cero. ''The colors shining off the enclosure, she blasted it directly towards her foe. "you couldn't fight me back then, what makes you think you can now?!" '"Koten Zanshun."' As Orihime thrust her hand outwards towards her opponent, she summoned Tsubaki to her aid. The small fairy formed a shield around him - the offensive power he had. Because of the attack, Orihime coupled up Baigon in order to support him. A weakness in Tsubaki is that he focused directly on attacking. But with one of her shield fairies to back him up, he would be a more effective weapon against Loly. She was determined not to lose to Loly, and determined to show herself. Their combined strength was enough to cut through the ''Cero, soaring straight towards Loly's figure. Loly watched as the small sprite rushed towards her. "Clever creations, but sometimes... finesse is just the excuse for a lack or true power!" watching as the object came closer and closer, Loly garnered energy on her hands, "You know what's sad about humans? You all are so squishy... and die so deliciously!" Loly was now at her limit. Discharging the pressure, she slammed her fists into the two walls, the entire structure began crumbling, pieces of debris hurtling from it's source, and falling downward. Menoly and Loly would be fine with Hierro... but she was sure if she began to intense the fight, the coward would crawl back into her ball. Once Tsubaki was close enough, Baigon broke off. Thanks to Loly's actions, the damage done would be limited, as Orihime was shocked by the sudden display of strength. The rocks crumbled and collapsed underneath her feet, causing her to descend involuntarily towards the ground floor. However, the fairy continued on... and because Loly had refused to dodge... SLICE! Tsubaki immediately embedded itself within Loly's shoulder... and activated the expansive cutting shield. Meanwhile, Orihime extended a hand outward as she descended, summoning another Santen Kesshun. This time, the triangle was larger, allowing a cushion between her and the floor as she landed. Unfortunately, the girl landed on her butt, rubbing her head a little. She was only thankful that she hadn't been killed immediately... Immediately Loly holwed in pain and hatred. Her arm sliding off, she immediately regretted the tactic. And the girl had survived. Soon... after the place had crumbled, Menoly stood still in the air. Unaiding... she would watch with care. But Loly could handle herself. Slowly, she would regenerate, but as she fell to her knees, she grimaced. Her lone arm holding the wound tight as blood seeped out. Tears streaming down her face. Curse this girl! Maybe this is why Aizen wanted her over... me. ''There was no plan. She was handicapped now... Orihime could've finished her off right then and there. Slowly, she walked towards the wounded woman, a worried expression on her features instead of a malicious/confident one. Even if she had delivered the critical blow... she couldn't help but feel sympathy. When she saw the tears fall, she couldn't help but think of herself... and that moment where Ichigo had nearly been killed for the second time by the hands of Ulquiorra... subconsciously, she held her own arm in guilt. In anyone else's eyes, it would be foolish to aid the woman who was trying to kill her... but Loly wanted so badly a chance to prove herself as well. If that was the case... ...then Orihime would give her that chance. '"Sōten Kisshun."' With those words, Orihime summoned the healing fairies to Loly's own aid. The orange barrier formed around her. Slowly, and with the help of her regeneration, the Arrancar's wound began to heal, arm restoring to its former self. Loly watched as this woman healed her... ''Why? What... is she doing this for? What did I deserve? I thought I could take her... I let my grudge remain. And I swore to kill her. 'Yet. '''Here she is now... bringing back my arm... "I don't understand." she stated simply, "Why are you doing this?" Loly's voice was hollow and empty... she didn't understand. When offered a chance to prove herself... to take revenge, she passed on it so easily... it didn't make any sense. Still more tears forming... she didn't know why. This time her tone yelling. "I don't understand!" Menoly looked down to her partner... clearly she was conflicted. This woman had saved her just now, pitied her, and aided. Along with saving even herself. What made this Human act this way? What... compassion was she capable of? Of forgiving an Arrancar of past sins...? "....you want to fight me, don't you?" Orihime's tone was slightly sad as she spoke, but she remained calm. She was almost tempted to comfort Loly, but knew that would be a naive move due to her actions in the past. "It isn't fair for me to obtain an easy victory in something like this..." She explained, eyes slightly down at the ground. "I said it before: the only thing I can do right now is to face your anger... and I can only do that if you're willing not to hold back." Then, she raised her eyes up to stare at Loly's figure again, keeping her distance as the healing commenced. "You want to see my anger?!" This girl made no sense... but she had helped her... as she had in the past. And that attitude... why did she act like this?! It was maddening! Tears now gone, she grit her teeth. This woman had to pay, she had to! For the reasoning... she had none anymore. '"Escolopendra, Poison!" 'her tone emitting a venomous tone, swirling energy poured from her body. And soon, the toxic mist dispersed, a horomone inflitrating the air that would cause anger to rise from all her foes... fear more susceptable. Her tentacles lashing around, her arms now doubled. "Here's my anger! This is my anger!" Menoly looked down in a mixture of strife and pity, her friend was feeling so much pain. And this Orihime would soon learn of Loly's dark side as she had before. She had seen the form before... ...but this was a new feeling. She immediately placed a hand to her heart, shock filling her... what was this sudden feeling that came over her? A murderous intent filling her very bones... as her eyes fell upon the transformed Arrancar, the aura swept over her, and her strong willpower fought against it. However, she couldn't help but get malicious thoughts into her head. Why ''did she choose to spare this girl if she was going to make such a foolish decision? All she did was make her offensive weapon even stronger... with this active, there would be no hesitation in deciding this woman's fate... Never she had experienced such elation before in combat... Orihime lowered her hand as well as her head, a uncharacteristically malicious smile coming across her features. With what would've been assumed as a sign of complete insanity, she began to giggle, excitedly...repeatedly...maniacally. She was going to enjoy picking this woman apart... before this fight was over, she would break down and burn every single bridge that Loly had. And she would love it. Loly only watched as this woman became under the influence of her toxin. Bringing her arms around, she prepared to crush the woman with a swift side-swipe, her arms perparing to retract if Orihime tried to duplicate her last action. "....this is your anger?" All it took was another Santen Kesshun in order to stop the attack in its tracks, the tentacles bouncing off of the shield. "What a pity..." She taunted the Arrancar. "I give you a chance to combat me on an even level... and you waste it with such a weak Resurrecion." Upon that, she once again dissipated the shield, her eyes looking for a good way to attack. "My only desire is to see your head rolling at my feet." Loly began to drip saliva at her the corner of her lips, dripping on the concrete... it immediately began eating through the ground as if wet tissue paper, the venom is such high quantities... it even put a mobrid stench into the air. '"'Empapando de Saliva." she stated, and soon more saliva began oozing out of her mouth. Soon, she swished the spit in her mouth, and launched it out in a series of bolts, perparing to melt her foe's defenses. "With that attack? Like that'll ever happen..." Even as Orihime continued to poke and prod, she raised her hands up to her defense. The Santen Kesshun barrier grew larger, but she chose not to wait for the bolts to complete the paths to their destinations. With a yell, she forced the barrier forward like a projectile attack, launching it with her own speed and power.